VaYelekh – Torah and Politics
Torah and “Politics” The Talmud (Shabbat 138b–139a) states, “In the future the Torah will be forgotten by Israel.” The prophet Amos proclaims, “They will run to seek the word of the L-rd but won’t find it” (Amos 8:12). How do we reconcile these statements with the verse in our parsha that declares the Torah “will […]
Nitzavim2 – Greatness vs Mediocrity
Greatness vs. Mediocrity There is no more fundamental axiom in Judaism than the one that decrees that man has free will, the ability, the right, and the obligation to choose for himself the path down which he will walk his life. “See, I have set before you this day life and good, and death and […]
Nitzavim – Is the Holocaust Really Inexplicable
Is the Holocaust Really Inexplicable? “But if your heart turns away so that you will not hear, but will be drawn away and worship other gods and serve them, I announce to you this day that you will surely perish…” (Deuteronomy 30:17–18). Whenever anyone asks how G-d could have allowed the Holocaust to take place, […]