FOR ONE AND FOR ALL   “Behold I am setting before you this day a blessing and a curse” [Devarim 11:26]   The opening words of today’s parasha have occasioned much discussion.. The nuance of grammar is lost in the English translation. The verse begins with an injunction in the singular, Re’eh, “Behold or See” addressed to an individual, followed by a plural form, Lifneichem, “I am setting before you (plural)”. Why does the verse start in the singular, addressing the individual, and conclude in the plural, addressing the community? One of the many answers is given by the Chatam...

ISRAEL’S EMBASSIES This week’s parasha includes the passage well-known to us from the siddur: the second paragraph of the Shema. The conclusion of this passage seems difficult to accept at face value: “so that your days will be lengthened on the land which the L-d promised to your ancestors, to give to them.” The Torah promises longevity in the land of Israel for those who fulfil the previously mentioned commandments, such as Tefilin, Mezuzah and Torah study. The Talmud (Berachot 8a) states that the Palestinian Amora, R’ Yochanan expressed surprise that there should be elderly people in Babylon seeing as...

TIME FOR A BREAK With the holiday season upon us, many will be looking to have a much-deserved break. Some may be wanting to have a quiet relaxing time. Others may be seeking something more exciting. Is there a Jewish angle on having an adventure? The Torah fortuitously sets out a general principle in a verse in this week’s parasha: Venishmartem me’od lenafshoteichem, which translates as: “You shall take very good care of yourselves.” [Devarim 4:15] Later in the Torah, in parashat Ki Teitzei, we will read of the requirement to build a fence or a parapet for the roof...

FATHER OF MERCY This Shabbat we will be reciting an extra prayer before Ashrei called Av Harachamim “Father of Mercy.” Its origins lie in the wake of the First Crusade, in 1096. Many Jewish communities in Germany were decimated as mobs found an outlet for their religious zeal in killing Jews before making their way to the Holy Land to wrest it from the Muslims. Thousands of men, women and children lost their lives in the communities of the Rhineland. Mainz, Worms, Speyer were ravaged over the course of a few weeks as the Crusaders made their way down Europe....

THE PROMISE OF A LEADER The philosopher Nietsche had a sharp eye for encapsulating a moral truth: “I’m not upset that you lied to me, I’m upset that from now on I can’t believe you.” Be careful with what you say. Don’t say anything you won’t keep. And keep anything you say. In his “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People,” Stephen Covey writes: “Integrity includes, but goes beyond honesty. Honesty is … conforming our words to reality. Integrity is conforming reality to our words—in other words, keeping promises and fulfilling expectations. This requires an integrated character, a oneness, primarily...

JOSEPH’S GIFT Shabbat in the Temple was characterized by an extra offering. It is described in this week’s parasha and is known as the Musaf offering. Today, when prayers have replaced the sacrifices, we have a Musaf or additional service on Shabbat. The Talmud associates the three daily services, Shacharit, Mincha, and Maariv, with the Patriarchs Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Each of the Patriarchs made a particular point of praying at these times of day. The Zohar makes a connection between the Musaf service and the biblical Joseph. Both words are based on the same root Lehosif, meaning ‘to add.’...