Parshat Re'eh

Parshat Re'eh

Deuteronomy 11:26 - 16:17

Synopsis

Moses tells the people that he has set before them a blessing and a curse - a blessing if they obey God's commandments and a curse if they choose disobedience. The choice is given to Israel. In order to possess the Land, the people must follow the laws established by God.

Moses continues his speech to the people detailing all the laws the people must observe. First, they must destroy the worship sites of foreign gods. The Israelites must then establish a permanent and central worship site. They may slaughter and consume meat in their settlements, but they are not to eat of the tithes set aside for the sacrifice.

The people are twice commanded in this portion to consume no blood of the animals they slaughter.

Moses admonishes the people to be wary of false prophets who might try to lure them into worshipping other gods. The penalty for such worship is death.

Moses reiterates the laws of kashrut to the people.

Moses instructs the people to put aside a tenth part of what they harvest and the firstlings of their herds and flocks as tithes. These are to be consumed at the central sanctuary. If the people live too far away from the sanctuary, money equal to the tithe is to be brought there in place of the actual harvest. They must then purchase food and provisions for a celebration before God.

A portion of the tithes brought by the Israelites is to be used to support the Levites, the orphaned, and the widowed. Israel is to observe a Sabbatical year every seventh year. Laws concerning Hebrew slaves are repeated.

The portion closes with Moses detailing the observance of the three pilgrimage festivals: Feast of Unleavened Bread - Passover; Feast of Weeks - Shavuot; and the Feast of Booths - Sukkot.

Synopsis courtesy of Teaching Torah, by Sorel Goldberg Loeb and Barbara Binder Kadden

For your Shabbat table:

• In Parshat Re'eh, Moses teaches the Israelites that they should be different from those around them and not copy their ways - they are not to worship other gods and they are to eat differently than their neighbors, observing the laws of kashrut. What are some ways a Jewish home is different from other homes? What makes your home a Jewish home?
• Some commentators have written that the purpose of maintaining kashrut is hygiene; others say it is to achieve holiness. What do you think?
• Rules are detailed telling the Israelites to support people in need - the Torah says widows and orphans, but we can take that to mean anyone who is in need of help and support. What are some ways you and your family help others in need?
• What would you be willing to give up in order to provide food, clothing, and shelter for others?

This week's g-dcast - a music video on Re'eh from Israel!

Parshat Ekev

Parshat Ekev
Deuteronomy 7:12 - 11:25

Synopsis

By following all the rules established by God, Israel will experience great blessings - health, abundant produce, and fertility. All the enemies of Israel will be vanquished with God's help, and Israel is to destroy all signs of their enemies' idolatrous worship.

A second admonition to obey God's laws is followed by a brief description of Israel's wanderings in the desert. Despite the 40 years of hardship, their clothing did not wear out, neither did their feet swell. Manna was provided for food. God disciplined the Israelites, as a father would discipline his son, in order to teach them to keep God's commandments. Now that Israel is to enter a bountiful Land, the people are cautioned to maintain their faith in God. Moses reminds them to give thanks continually to God for the abundance provided. The people should never assume it is by their own hand that they enjoy the fruits of the Land - all that they have is from God.

By not following God's commandments, Israel would doom itself.

Moses recounts to the Israelites all their acts of defiance: the making of the Golden Calf, complaining about the food and the water, and the incident of the spies. He reminds the people how he interceded with God on their behalf. Because of these pleadings, Israel is still able to enter Canaan.

Moses tells the people that all God wants is that Israel remain faithful to God's laws, worship God, and behave appropriately toward orphans, widows, and strangers. Such acts will result in blessings and prosperity.

This synopsis can be found in Teaching Torah by Sorel Goldberg Loeb and Barbara Binder Kadden.

For your Shabbat table:

• In Parshat Ekev, Moses reminds the Israelites to thank God for everything they receive in the new land of Canaan. What are some ways that you thank God for what you have? How frequently do you remember to thank God?
• At the end of the parsha, Moses tells the people that it is important to remember God's laws and to live by them. What are some ways you remember to live by the Torah and God's laws?
• Jews are instructed to behave appropriately towards orphans, widows, and strangers. What do you think this mean? What is special about widows, orphans, and the stranger, and what can that tell us about how we should behave towards others?

Time for some Torah toons!

Parshat Va'etchanan

Parshat Va'etchanan
Deuteronomy 3:23 - 7:11

Synopsis
Va'etchanan opens with Moses reminding the people how he had pleaded with God to be allowed to see the Promised Land. God relented and allowed Moses to view the Land of Canaan, but in so doing, God reminded Moses to prepare Joshua to be the new leader of the people in their new Land.

Moses continues in his speech to the people, exhorting them to observe the laws and rules given them so that they may enter and occupy the Promised Land. The people are specifically cautioned to follow the entire law. They must not add or delete from that which God has commanded them.

Moses details the very special relationship that God has with the people Israel and emphasizes that this unique connection should in no way be jeopardized. Moses intersperses his warnings to the people with descriptions of various statutes and commandments. These include:

• The cities of refuge - cities which are set aside to protect individuals who accidentally kill someone.
• A repetition of the Ten Commandments
• The first paragraph of the Shema
• The prohibition against intermarriage between the Israelites and the nations slated to be dislodged from the Promised Land.

Synopsis courtesy of Teaching Torah, by Sorel Goldberg Loeb and Barbara Binder Kadden

Questions for your Shabbat Table:

• Moses reminds the people Israel of their special relationship with God. How is your relationship with God special?
  
• How do you show your love for God? How does your family show their love for God?
• One of the reminders Moses includes at the end is the first paragraph of the Shema, which many Jews recite before going to bed at night. Why do Jews say the Shema before going to sleep?
• Why do you think Moses repeated those statutes? What is important about each of those rules that he wanted the Israelites to remember?
  

This week's g-dcast cartoon:

Tisha B'Av

Tonight begins one of the most solemn holidays of the Jewish calendar - Tisha B'Av.  It seems that the holidays that fall during the school year tend to get the most attention, so many people do not know much of this holiday or what it commemorates.  Jewish Treats, one of my favorite websites, posted this article about Tisha B'Av - check it out!