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Parasha Va’etchanan (And I Pleaded): Moses Pleads with the Lord

Orthodox Jewish man in prayer-tallit-tefillin

This week’s Torah portion begins with Moses reminding the people of how he pleaded with God for the privilege of entering the Promised Land, but God refused to grant his request. Rabbinic tradition says that Moses begged God 515 times, (taken from the gematria or numerical value of the word va’etchanan). Moses asked God, “’Let me go over and see the good land beyond the Jordan—that fine hill country and Lebanon.’ But because of you the Lord was angry with me and would not listen to me. ‘That is enough,’ the Lord said. ‘Do not speak to me anymore about this matter.’” (Deuteronomy 3:25–26)

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Parasha Devarim (Words): The Transformation of Moses

In this Parasha, Moses lyrically and impressively sums up the major events that they have experienced while he was the leader of Israel for 40 years. Here, Moses appears as an eloquent man of words—a powerful orator. And yet, 40 years earlier, when God spoke to Moses in an extraordinary encounter from out of a burning bush, commanding him to go and speak to Pharaoh, Moses replied, "Pardon your servant, Lord. I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue."

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Parasha Massei (Journeys): Turning Points in Our Wilderness Experience

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This Parasha reveals to us that life is not simply a final destination, but a succession of destinations—each bringing us toward a progressive fulfillment of our destiny. In other words, life is not only about the end goal; rather, it is more about the journey that takes place along the way. That is why, perhaps, the Jewish people have been called the “Wandering Jews,” since we have been exiled into the nations for two millennia, marked by persecutions that led to more forced wanderings.

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Parasha Matot (Tribes): Vows, Vengeance, Anger, and the Will of God

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In this Parasha (Torah portion), Moses speaks to the heads of the tribes (matot) about the issue of vows. In Hebrew, the word is neder ( נדר ), and in truth the English language has no equivalent word. This Hebrew word denotes a solemn promise to consecrate something to God or to do something in His service or honor. Jacob (Yaacov) made such a vow to God when he promised to give back to God a tenth (tithe) of anything God gives to him in exchange for God’s provision and protection on his journey.

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Parasha Pinchas (Phinehas): Taking a Stand for God

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God was so pleased with Pinchas’ holy anger and zeal for God's honor that He rewarded him and his descendants with a covenant of peace and a covenant of a lasting priesthood. While the actions of Pinchas are not to be upheld as a means to rid the world of immorality, and are still scrutinized and discussed, we can measure our own spiritual temperature using his zeal as a thermometer.

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Parasha Balak (Destroyer): The Error of Balaam

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Parasha Balak is a fascinating study on blessings and curses. It is named after Balak, the king of Moab, and begins with an interaction between him and a well-known pagan prophet, Balaam, son of Beor. King Balak and the Moabites, a nation well-versed in the occult arts, become alarmed by the Israelites because their numbers are many, and they have gained stunning victories against their enemies, Sichon and Og. Motivated by the fear of defeat, Balak seeks to hire Balaam to curse the Israelites so that he can have a physical advantage by weakening them through sorcery.

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Parasha Chukat (Statute or Decree): The Mystery of the Red Heifer

Heifer-Parah Adumah

Although chukim (ordinances) are laws that seem to have no rational explanation, and remain undecipherable to our limited human understanding, we can trust that God has good reason for instituting them. Just like children do not always understand why their parents lay down certain rules, we don’t always understand our Heavenly Father’s intentions or reasons.

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Parasha Korach (Korah): Appointed for Service

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In this week's Parasha, Korach (a Levite) challenges the leadership of Moses and the Aaronic priesthood (kehunah). Joining Korach’s rebellion against Moses are Dathan and Abiram (from the tribe of Reuben), as well as 250 key council members who defy Moses and Aaron, stating, "You have gone too far! The whole community is holy, every one of them, and the LORD is with them. Why then do you set yourselves above the LORD's assembly?" (Numbers 16:3)

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Parasha Shlach (Send): Minding What We Hear

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In Parasha Shlach, 12 spies (m'raglim) are dispatched into the land of Canaan to spy out the land that God promised to give them as their new home. They returned with huge clusters of grapes, since it was the season of the first ripe grapes, which coincides with the months of July and August. Although each of the spies acknowledged the bounty in the Land, they also reported that strong, violent giants lived there, spreading fear and doubt among the children of Israel, saying: “The land, through which we have gone to spy it out, is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people that we saw in it are of great height.” (Numbers 13:32)

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Parasha Behaalotecha (When You Raise): Speaking the Truth in Love

Yeshua (Jesus) emphasized the theme of spiritual light during His earthly ministry. He recognized our need for light and revealed that those who follow Him will never be in darkness. Just as He is a light, we are also called to be lights. According to Philippians 2:14-15, one key way followers of Yeshua can shine as lights in the world is through loving one another and refraining from arguing or complaining.

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