Parashat Ha’azinu will be read this year on Shabbat Shuvah, between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur—the period known as the Ten Days of Teshuvah (return and repentance). As we try to figure out whether and how to do teshuvah, whether and how to pray during the High Holy Days, we may well wonder if it matters. Is there anybody listening? And will it make a difference to us or to the world?
Read MoreParashat Nitzavim describes a ceremony through which the people of Israel will “enter into the covenant of Adonai [their] God.” It is a powerful ritual, with its recited litany of curses for when the Israelites abandon God and blessings for when they return faithfully, but it is strangely redundant. The people of Israel already affirmed their commitment to God’s covenant before the revelation at Mount Sinai. Why is Moses orchestrating a second entry into a covenantal relationship that already exists?
Read MoreParashat Ki Tavo includes a dramatic scene on two mountain tops. Moses tells the people that after they have traveled across the Jordan River, into the land of Israel, they are to divide themselves into two groups on the nearby peaks: On Mount Gerizim six tribes will stand as a list of blessings is recited. On Mount Ebal another six tribes will stand and hear a list of curses. Presumably, these blessings are incentives to follow the mitzvot, and the curses are a warning to those who don’t follow the commandments.
Read MoreParashat Ki Tetze offers one of the first instances of building code in human history—the precursor to restrictions on asbestos insulation and circuit breaker requirements. At a moment in time when houses had flat roofs, the Torah tells us, “When you build a new house, you shall make a parapet for your roof, so that you do not bring bloodguilt on your house if anyone should fall from it.”’ It’s a simple principle—a flat roof, where family and friends might hang out and barbecue, is an inherently dangerous place. We should anticipate that danger and build a railing so no one falls.
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