Sukkot – Exodus 33:12 – 34:16
This week is the holiday of Succot, the Feast of Tabernacles, and the middle of Sukkot falls on Shabbat, so once again the regular Torah reading is suspended and a special portion for the holiday is read instead.
Heartland Story: Keeping One Step Ahead of Terrorism
Perched on the hills of Samaria just west of the Jordan Valley, the small community of Migdalim has persevered in the face of enormous challenge. Relatively isolated, surrounded by Arab towns and quite distant from Israel’s main population centers, Migdalim was founded in 1984 by a hardy group of pioneers focused on securing the People … Read more
Heartland Story: Protecting Samaria’s Residents after October 7th
As the sun sets of Fridays and the hustle and bustle of the week fades into the background, families in Judea and Samaria nestle into the sacred embrace of the sabbath. But one Friday evening, tranquility shattered as a sinister plot unfolded in Shaked, located in Northern Samaria. As parents tenderly tucked their children into … Read more
Ha’azinu (Listen) – Deuteronomy 32:1 – 32:52
This week we read the Song of Moses, one of Moses’ final speeches to the Children of Israel before his death. The only other words Moses speaks to the nation after this are the words of blessing in Deuteronomy Chapter 33
Ki Tavo (When You Will Come) – Deuteronomy 26:1 – 29:8
There is a common joke among Jews that summarizes all of our Jewish holidays in one sentence: They tried to kill us, G-d saved us, let’s eat. It doesn’t quite apply to every holiday, but certainly Passover, Purim and Hanukkah fit the bill. And the statement certainly tells us a great deal about Jewish culture.
Ki Tezeh (If You Should Go Out) – Deuteronomy 21:10 – 25:19
This weeks Torah portion includes the largest number of commandments of any other weekly portion. Beginning with Chapter 21 verse 10 and proceeding through Chapter 25, verse after verse is filled with situations and the rules of practice that are applicable.
Shoftim (Judges) – Deuteronomy 16:18 – 21:9
These verses set forth guidelines to be followed by the kings of Israel, to ensure their righteousness and the absence of corruption in their kingdoms. Although, we no longer have kings, our political leaders would do well to follow these rules.
Re’eh (Behold) – Deuteronomy 11:26 – 16:17
We are often witness to the fact that the nations of the world hold the Jewish people and the State of Israel to a higher standard. Frankly, in most cases, those nations are not really interested in placing Israel on a higher pedestal, but creating a basis for criticism against Israel.
Ekev (Because) Deuteronomy 7:12 – 11:25
Throughout their desert experience, the Children of Israel felt the pull to return to Egypt, and Moses needed to enable them to understand the advantages of freedom, which is accompanied by servitude to G-d. Therefore, it was critical that the Children of Israel be reliant upon G-d for their food and water and understand that simple food and water from G-d as free persons is preferable to watermelon and fish in Egypt as slaves.
Devarim (Words) – Deuteronomy 1:1 – 3:22
On the 9th of Av we also read the book of Lamentations, that terribly poignant description of the destruction of the First Temple written by Jeremiah, an eye-witness to the events he describes.